An unexpected visit

John Shaughnessy '77 | September 22, 2014 | Notre Dame Magazine

The urgency in the young man’s voice — plus the two questions he asked — immediately grabbed my attention.

At the time, I was part of a group of family and friends with Notre Dame loyalties, standing near the players’ tunnel outside Notre Dame Stadium. It was the early evening of August 30 — a short while after the Irish won their 2014 football season opener against Rice University. Involved in another conversation, I heard the young man’s voice before I saw him. In a tone that was both polite and urgent, he asked someone in our group about the location of the Grotto.